Fame and Fortune
by Wish Porter
Summary: The Golden Trio returns to Hogwarts for an eighth year. After an accident on the Quidditch Pitch, Harry learns how to do tarot card readings and his predictions are quite accurate, if vague. After the first reading, everybody wants to know what the future holds.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter

Hello, it's me again! Yes, another one! I really can't help it! These plots just come to me and stick around until I write them down.

Anyway, this is AU, the fabled 8th year and all that. I'm treating it as if the 8th year students just return to Hogwarts as if it were any other year and resume any positions the'd had before. e.g. Harry as Quidditch Captain.

* * *

"Come on, Dean, you had that but you hesitated!"

Dean looked ashamed as his captain criticized his playing. If he wanted to remain on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, then he'd have to step up his game. "Sorry Harry, I got distracted; I mean, Ginny flew by and her hair's down and she's wearing shorts today…" He wisely trailed off at the sight of Harry's scowl.

"Right," Harry growled with gritted teeth. "Well keep your head in the game or get off the field." Harry stalked out of the change room, not looking back to see the hurt look on his roommate's face.

He didn't know what was wrong with him lately. He was awkward around Ron and Hermione because of their new couple status. He was harsh to his dorm mates, he had no patience for mistakes, and strangely, he was overly suspicious of Malfoy even though the git was definitely up to something. After he'd saved the git from the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts, they'd been civil. Narcissa had saved him from Voldemort, and he'd even testified at their trials. Malfoy and his mother's, that is. Lucius got what he deserved. Therefore, he thought it strange that he was so suspicious of Malfoy this year. He thought al of that was behind them. Maybe it was being back in Hogwarts with all the teachers and the rules, it just seemed so childish compared to the last year on the run.

The war hero let out a thunderous sigh as he walked out onto the Quidditch Pitch. He glanced up at his team before turning away. Demelza and Ginny were tossing the quaffle back and forth, Ron was racing around the hoops and the beaters were fooling around.

He shook his head at them and started walking away. He'd taken two steps when he heard Hermione scream, "Harry, look out!" He went to turn but he felt a tremendous pain and all he knew was black.

* * *

Pain. His back, his neck, and Merlin, his head. He groaned.

"Harry?" Hermione sounded worried. She called out, "He's waking up!"

Harry's eyes slowly fluttered open only to be greeted with white and fuzziness. The hospital wing.

"Welcome back, Mr. Potter." Madam Pomfrey seemed to be as cheerful as ever. "We were quite worried about you. Even considering all of the trouble that you manage to find yourself in, a bludger to the head is never good. Then we add a mispronounced spell into the mix… Well."

Harry blinked. "What?"

"Peakes accidentally hit a bludger at you. Demelza saw it and tried to cast the impedimenta jinx," Hermione seemed even more worried than usual. "But she mispronounced it and well, we're not sure of the effects." She bit her lip.

Harry blinked again. "Oh." He took it all in. "Didn't I teach that jinx in the DA meetings? How could she mispronounce it?" He sighed in irritation. "Are we sure it even did anything?"

Pomfrey clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Yes, but we're not sure of the exact effects. So I'll be keeping you overnight for observation."

Harry groaned. Of course. He talked with Hermione until Pomfrey ushered her out and gave him a sleeping potion.

The hospital wing was quiet in the dead of the night and not a creature was stirring, except for Harry.

His eyes were fluttering, his eyebrows furrowed, his head tossing. In his head he saw pictures. So many pictures, so many numbers.

A man walking near a cliff, a man in a cloak with the infinity symbol, a cloaked woman in a headdress, a woman in white, a man on a throne, a cloaked man who seemed to be preaching, a naked couple, a person riding in some sort of chariot, a woman petting a lion, an old man with a lantern, a wheel in the sky, a figure cloaked in red on a throne, a man hanging upside down from a tree, a black-armored man on a white horse, an angel, a devil, a dangerous looking tower, a naked woman and a star, animals howling at the moon, a figure riding a horse under the sun, a group of people looking to an angel for guidance, a naked woman wrapped in cloth, a series of pictures involving cups, a series of pictures involving pentacles, a series of pictures involving swords, and a series of pictures involving staves.

He sat up, eyes wide open, panting. It took him an hour to get back to sleep.

"How was your night Mr. Potter?"

Harry frowned. "Strange. I had weird dreams; all these people and symbols. I have no idea who or what they were."

Madam Pomfrey frowned back. "I see. Your scans report an anomaly with your magic. I'll be keeping you another night. Drink this potion after you finish your breakfast." She put the small vial on the table beside his bed. With that the matron returned to her office.

Harry finished his porridge dutifully. It never tasted as good as the porridge in the Great Hall. After putting his tray on the table beside him, Harry uncorked the vial. He didn't care what it was; he simply downed it. Not a minute later he was fast asleep.

When he awoke the next morning, Madam Pomfrey told him he'd had visitors. Hermione had come to sit with him, as had Neville, Luna, and strangely enough, Parvati. Even Headmistress McGonagall had stopped by. When asked, she told him that although Ron had walked up with the rest of the team, he didn't stay and that Ginny hadn't visited at all.

"Am I allowed to go today, Poppy?"

Madam Pomfrey simply stared at him. She'd spent a great deal of time with Mr. Potter in the hospital wing over the years and he'd never addressed her by her first name. He'd always seemed to dislike the hospital wing but he listened to her orders well enough and he'd always treated her respectfully. She was caught off guard.

"Well Mr. Potter, your scans show nothing out of the ordinary in regard to your magic and everything else seems to be fine as well. Did you have anymore strange dreams?"

Harry shook his head. "No strange dreams, just the regular teenage fare." He grinned at her cheekily.

Madam Pomfrey couldn't help but blush. A student hadn't been so forward since Sirius Black. "Lovely, I'm sure. It seems you're fit to go Mr. Potter." She pulled the curtain around his bed. "Now get dressed and stay out of trouble."

* * *

Harry wandered the halls after he was released from the hospital wing. His original plan was to head toward the Great Hall; it would be time for lunch soon. But as he was on his way there, he felt drawn to go in another direction. Contemplating it, he shrugged and decided to see what happened.

He was wondering if he was ever going to stop. He was on the seventh floor already. That was when he recognized the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and the blank stretch of wall across from it. The Room of Requirement. He stopped, not feeling the need to go further.

He couldn't help but wonder if it still worked after the fire and all. He paced back and forth in front of the wall three times. 'I need to see why I came here.'

To his surprise, the door appeared. He'd thought his wording was much too vague.

He slowly opened the door.

The room was quite small and the walls and ceiling were draped with colourful material. The effect was similar to that of the Champions' tent of the Triwizard Tournament. In the center of the room was a medium-sized circular table, the tablecloth a deep purple. Sitting on the table was a deep purple cloak and an emerald brooch, a deck of cards, and a book. He barely glanced at the cloak and went straight for the cards. The backs of the cards were designed with an intricate golden eye on a background of the purest white although Harry found that when he tilted the cards, they seemed to be different colours; a prism effect. He shook his head and looked at the faces of the cards instead. A man near a cliff, the naked couple, the wheel, the man hanging upside down, the cups, the pentacles, the swords, the staves. These cards were from his dream! He frowned and looked next at the book. The Art of Tarot.

Oh. _Oh_.

* * *

The entire Great Hall stopped eating to look around as the doors were suddenly thrown open in the middle of dinner. The student body watched dazedly as Harry Potter swooped in. Behind him, levitating in the air was a table with a deep purple tablecloth. In his arm was a purple bunch of material, in his hand a deck of cards. He paused for a moment and looking around before nodding in decision. He stalked purposefully to an area near the end of the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables, just off from the main doors. With a flourish of his wand, he set the table on the floor and then a deep purple tent appeared in the air and floated to the floor as directed. The staff and students stared as Harry entered the tent with nary a word. The tent was very nice looking; the shape reminiscent of the main tent at a circus.

They waited for Harry to come out. He didn't.

Headmistress McGonagall sighed as she got to her feet to deal with it. She headed toward the tent and swept inside.

The tent was lit with candlelight and the stone floor was covered in a luxurious black carpet. The table was in the center of the tent and directly in front of her was a comfortable looking stool. On the opposite side of the table sat Harry wearing a deep purple cloak with the hood hiding his face, held closed with an emerald brooch. He sat shuffling the cards. An air of mystery surrounded him.

When McGonagall didn't immediately sit down, he looked up at her with a secretive smile. "Hello Headmistress. Why don't you sit down, would you like me to tell you your fortune?"


	2. Trelawney

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

I apologize for the wait. This chapter gave me so much trouble. It was scrapped twice. If it's any condolence, the next chapter is already partially done.

* * *

All of Hogwarts instantly knew that Harry was offering tarot card readings. As soon as McGonagall had left the tent, they'd known. Harry didn't know how everyone knew so fast; neither he nor McGonagall had said anything.

Either way, Harry had eaten lunch in his tent. Headmistress McGonagall, although declining having her fortune read, discussed his choice to tell people their fortunes. Although disgruntled that one of her favorite students was using Divination, she allowed it. It was not only an accepted extracurricular activity; this new desire to read tarot cards also applied as extra credit. Harry had simply smiled at her when she said this. He spread the deck in a semi-circle on the table with a wave of his hand. He didn't hesitate to pick a card and lay it face up on the table.

McGonagall looked at the card. A man in a red robe holding something similar to a wand aloft, various things before him, and an infinity symbol above his head. She raised her eyebrow at Harry.

He bowed his head so that his eyes were hidden and smiled mysteriously at the woman. "The Magician. His power is transformation through the use of his will. He is confident in his skills and in his ability to produce the effect that he wants. The Magician reminds us that decisions and not wishes change things. His appearance means that now is the time to decide a course of action and act on it. There are no limits but the ones set by oneself. The Magician means confidence. Step forth with success in mind and watch everything fall into place."

McGonagall blinked in bewilderment. She'd seen his Divination grades and she knew that Mr. Potter had never been overtly interested in the art of Divination. She wondered where this new knowledge of the tarot came from. "Mr. Potter, are you trying to tell me that your decision to tell people their fortunes will effect those around you in a way that will benefit you?"

He finally looked his Professor in the eye. "Why, Minnie, I am simply introducing you to this lovely tarot card. You know, despite the complex power of the card, the Magician has a rather simple meaning." His eyes were twinkling. "Life is what you make it."

With that, Harry swept the cards from the table and into his hand and he resumed shuffling them. McGonagall left the tent feeling oddly like she'd just had a meeting with Albus.

* * *

Since all of Hogwarts knew of Harry's new skill, it wasn't long before Harry had his first client.

After dinner there was a ring from a bell outside his tent. "Enter," he announced. Harry knew from the smell of sherry that Trelawney had come to see him, he didn't even look up. "Good evening, Professor Trelawney. Please, have a seat." He glanced at her once she was seated, his eyes gleaming. "The cards foretold your arrival." He motioned to the card lying face up in the center of the table. A man cloaked in red, wearing a headdress and holding a cross, preaching to an audience. He knew she'd love the drama.

She looked on eagerly as he began to explain. "The Hierophant. The card of religious and spiritual belief. A major role of the Hierophant is the role of a teacher or mentor, who instructs in the ways of his particular belief. If the current situation requires more experience than one has, then the appearance of the Hierophant preludes the presence of a teacher or mentor in one's life. Although the teacher will not appear on demand. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear."

Trelawney's eyes appeared even wider than they were behind her glasses. "Very good, my dear boy. Very good. Now, I suppose you know-"

"That the Hierophant can also represent groups and natural leadership and the greater good in the aim for order and that the appearance of this card may also mean following tradition may be he most beneficial course of action at the moment. Indeed."

The Divination Professor was positively giddy. "Oh, very good, Mr. Potter!" She cleared her throat. "I would like you to tell my fortune now, if you could. I wish to test your gifts. One cannot read false fortunes, after all."

Harry smiled at her. "Of course, Professor. What would you like to know?"

The woman blinked, her glasses making her eyes seem bug-like. "I would like you to tell me of my career."

Harry nodded and just began shuffling his deck. After a few silent moments he spread the deck in an effortless semicircle along the opposite edge of the table. "Please pick three cards, point only."

Trelawney pointed to three cards and Harry instinctively placed them into the Annikin Work spread.

The Divination professor nodded approvingly. "That is the correct spread and I'm pleasantly surprised that you're aware that nobody but yourself should handle your cards."

Harry said nothing. He'd known when she came in that this was an assessment.

The first card. This would determine whether or not the woman was working in the correct field. He flipped the card. The card featured a man with their cloak thrown off, riding a horse, with flowers reaching for the unachievable goal of the sun hanging in the sky. "The Sun." It figures she was destined to teach. "Yes Professor, insight is something that comes easily to you and you adore your position. You are given freedom to see what you wish, safety, and companionship in a world where seers are often hunted for their skills. Beyond that, you enjoy teaching even those who have closed their inner eye about the mysteries of the future. Enjoy your success."

The second card. This card would determine whether or not the good professor's job was secure. He flipped the card. A man on a throne with a pentacle in plain sight. "The King of Pentacles." He was unsurprised to see the card. "Professor, you've just passed a time of trial and your career is now secure. Your time of trial has passed. You have outlasted a usurper and a war. The school welcomes you. Your career cannot be any more secure than it is at this moment. You've dedicated your time and Sight to the school, and that had paid off. You need take no more risks."

The divination professor nodded. "I see. I am indeed secure. I've outlasted Delores Umbridge, Firenze, and a war. There is nothing that could remove me from my post if I don't want to leave."

The third card. The card that determined if any changes should be made. He flipped the card. A man was carrying a bundle of staves, and seemed to be struggling. "Ten of Wands," he intoned dramatically. "While you are happy in your secure career, it may be time for a small vacation. A break from teaching would be prudent. How will your inner eye see forward if it remains in the castle, unable to see the world?"

A slow nod was the woman's only response. "Interesting. A vacation to see the world." She squinted at him from behind her massive lenses. "I _have_ been meaning to visit Delphi, and this would be an ideal time. But there is no possible way you could have known that…unless…" She surged to her feet with the clinking of many beads and the essence of sherry. "You have the Sight! You're Inner Eye has been clouded but now it is open like never before." She seemed suddenly full of energy. "Oh, dear boy, I must spread the news!"

With that, she bustled out of the tent, and Harry watched after her. He grinned when he was sure she was gone. She wasn't a terrible person, but her teaching methods left something to be desired. Surely with her gone, Firenze would resume his previous role as divination professor. The divination fanatics would enjoy the change of pace, and the rest of the school would be spared from the smell of sherry and predictions of a tragic nature.

No, he thought, he wouldn't be the only one happy to see her go.


	3. Parvati

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

This is actually quite difficult. Manipulating tarot cards to relate to characters and their problems while also keeping the future plot in mind is not as easy as I thought it would be.

* * *

It was after dinner when Harry heard the bell ring outside his tent. It was actually quite late. Most students had retired to their common rooms to do their homework. He was actually just about to do the same. He settled back into his chair, "Enter."

He really hadn't been expecting who came through, but maybe he should have. She was, after all, top of the class in Divination. "Parvati, what a surprise." He picked up his cards and began shuffling them.

She smiled a little hesitantly at him. "Hi Harry. I heard that Professor Trelawney tested your abilities earlier. She guaranteed your proficiency at tarot readings."

Harry hid his grin with his hood. "I'm aware."

The Gryffindor blushed. "Right! Of course you would know, you were there and all- Sorry. I know I'm rambling. I'm just nervous. I'd like to ask you to do a reading for me."

Harry motioned toward the stool and watched as she sat. "What would this reading concern?"

"The future."

Harry nodded. He shuffled the deck a few more times before spreading the cards in a semicircle along Parvati's edge of the table. "Choose eight cards. Don't touch them."

Parvati quietly pointed to eight cards and Harry placed them facedown in a hexagonal shape. She placed both hands on the table and then knitted her fingers together, anxiously settling in for a reading.

Harry gathered up the remaining cards in his deck and placed them in the inside pocket of his cloak. He then turned over the card on the bottom, the one closest to him.

A dog was howling at the moon. "The Moon. This card represents you presently, and your path. You are unsure of the future. You don't know if the path you're taking is the right one for you."

Parvati nodded. "Yeah. Since the war ended, I don't know what to do with my life. Do I stay in school? I know planning for the future is necessary but I've also come to value every moment I'm alive. I don't want to waste my life in school. And when I get out of school, what do I do then? What will I do for a job? I'm really just not sure what I want or what to do, Harry. I need some guidance."

So Parvati wasn't on the right path. She was on the path of indecision and pressure. Harry ignored cards 2-4. In accordance with her answer, Harry moved directly to card 5, which was to the left of the first card.

"Alright, this card will show you the path that you should be on." He reached over and flipped the card. "The Hermit. This card makes an appearance when questions about purpose are brought to light. For example, your desire to know what to do with your life. Now you must emulate the Hermit in order to find answers. Only his Inner Voice and the light of his lamp guide him. Eventually the lamp is cast away, because his own inner light must learn to shine in the absence of the light of others. For true wisdom to be forthcoming, there can be no distractions or worldly preoccupations. The Hermit isolates himself from others in order to essentially find himself. Once he has found that which he searched for, the Hermit returns to the world with his lamp in order to help others see their own potential. The appearance of the Hermit means learning more about yourself. Your worldly problems and affairs can be put on hold; everything you leave behind will remain when you return. Only you will have changed. The Hermit can also indicate the entrance of a mentor into your life. They will show you how to find the answers you seek within yourself though you will find that you had the answers all along."

Parvati just stared at him for a moment. "Harry, if I didn't know better I'd say you were Professor Trelawney in disguise." She shook her head. "Alright. So this Hermit says that I need to isolate myself in order to find my path, right?"

Harry nodded; he felt the need to be very upfront with her. "Yeah. This need to look within yourself indicates that you have many potential paths and only true soul-searching will show you the right way."

Parvati hummed in thought. "The Inner Voice bit is pretty clear but the lamp worries me. Could the lamp symbolize my sister? I've never avoided Padma before and we're really quite close."

"I believe that is the purpose of isolation. The Hermit isolates himself so that his own light can learn to shine without others. Similarly, you must form your own opinions that unbiased by the opinions of your sister. When you have found your answers, you and your sister will be reunited." Harry leaned over and took the hand of his beautiful housemate. "You two are in different houses anyway, Parvati, it's not as if you spend every waking moment together." He squeezed the mocha hand in his own and then released it. He tried for a charming smile. "Besides, she's a Ravenclaw, she'll understand your sudden need for deep thought."

He succeeded in making her laugh. "I suppose you're right. What about that teaching bit? Surely I'm not meant to be a professor? And the mentor?"

Harry shrugged at the Indian beauty. "It can mean whatever you want it to. The Hermit is not a teacher, he merely helps steer others in the direction of enlightenment. So I wouldn't box myself into that future. You may or may not become a professor; it's up to you. The mentor could be anyone. They are not a teacher per say but a supportive figure. They offer advice and guidance."

Parvati nodded. "Alright. I think I understand now. You can continue."

Harry proceeded to the sixth card, above the fifth and closer to Parvati. "This card represents people and events that could be helpful in finding your path in life." He flipped it to show a well-dressed man holding a cup. "The Page of Cups. A person whose imagination is free to dream and to create the life they choose. When the Page appears, his energy manifests as a person around you, an event you will experience, or a part of yourself that must come to light. As an event, the Page of Cups usually refers to children but he can also predict a starting friendship or relationship, happiness and pleasure in an existing relationship, or really anything related to emotional beginnings. People represented by the Page of Cups are romantics. Gentle, compassionate, imaginative and artistic, he values tranquility and peace. Though beneath his quiet exterior he is brave and studious. Though he can be moody and impractical because he is rooted in the spiritual and the emotional."

Parvati blinked. "So I'm looking for a gentle, compassionate, imaginative, peace-loving, brave, studious, moody, impractical friend." Her disbelief was plain to hear.

Harry laughed. "They could be separate people, or objects for all I know." He continued on.

"This card represents things that will hinder you in your journey to find your way." He flipped the seventh card to reveal a man and four coins with pentacles on them. "The Four of Pentacles. This card advises the acceptance of change. It embodies holding on to things; whether you're holding on to money, possessions, people, or the past, you have to let it go. You can't use these things as a security blanket."

The Gryffindor seemed troubled. "Now I really feel like that Hermit card meant my sister. We've always been together so in a way, I guess she's my security blanket. It's always been Padma and Parvati so I never had to be just Parvati."

Harry waited until she was done before nodding absently.

He moved to flip the eighth and final card. "The High Priestess. She represents the unconscious and the Inner Voice. If the Priestess appears when an important decision is being made, this often means that the answers will be revealed if you are patient and true to yourself. You simply have to wait and trust your own intuition. The answer exists within you. She also represents the Shadow; the negative part of your personality. In most people the Shadow is passive, and the Priestess can therefore suggest a need for passivity; sometimes goals can be overcome by inaction. So, Parvati, this essentially means that what happens, happens. As long as you make choices that you think are right, everything will work out for you in the end."

Parvati beamed at him. "Thank you, Harry. Everything seems so much clearer now. Whether it's still clear when I wake up, is another matter entirely."

He smiled at the girl. "It was my pleasure to help you. That's why I'm here."

He began to gather up his things as his housemate got up to leave. He wondered if the house elves and the teachers would leave his tent as it was for the night. It wasn't in the way.

Parvati turned in the entrance. "Harry?"

"Yes Parvati?"

She blushed. "Er, if I'm ever unsure, could I…could I come back for another reading?"

He nodded graciously. "Of course. There is no limit on readings."

He watched her as she left with a radiant smile. Parvati had some decisions to make, but it seemed as if she'd make some new friends in her own time. That bit about being unsure though, she'd be back.


End file.
